[Peace-discuss] statistics on veterans
Marti Wilkinson
martiwilki at gmail.com
Sun Dec 2 05:19:53 CST 2007
This is good information to have. I'm really concerned that the longer we
stay in Irag the more likely we will be unable to bring our soldiers home. I
have a feeling the ramifications of this will end up being much worse than
Vietnam.
On Dec 1, 2007 3:46 PM, Karen Medina <kmedina at uiuc.edu> wrote:
> The flier I was putting together (about statistics on veterans) ended up
> far too long (4 pages). I will cut it down, but I thought I would share my
> first draft.
>
> When the Troops Come Marching Home -- in our dreams, having them home was
> much happier (If you thought this war doesn't affect you, think again)
>
> The Army has canceled its traditional holiday early release program again
> this year. National leaders are calling this the "Long War". For some
> soldiers, it is already a second, third, or fourth tour of duty. The result
> is much more than just the unprecedented levels of Post Traumatic Stress
> Disorder and life-changing physical injuries.
>
> • In 2005, there were 120.3 suicides per week for veterans
> • 25% of all homeless people are veterans (veterans make up 11% of
> the US population). In 1996, 23% of the homeless were veterans.
> • desertion rate is up 80% since 2003
> • 100,000 vets are seeking treatment for mental health issues
> • 28% of vets experience mental health problems
> • 52,000 vets are seeking treatment for Post Traumatic Stress
> Disorder (PTSD)
> • Exposure to physical trauma (brain injury is just one example),
> chemical exposure
> • Anxiety and depression untreated lead to full blown PTSD which may
> lead to job problems, family problems, drug and alcohol abuse, suicide,
> involvement in petty crime in order to get money, unemployment, homelessness
> (CBS News, 2007b) and incarceration (see below).
>
> Older studies show that domestic violence is high in the military.
> • Rates of marital aggression are considerably higher than civilian
> rates, from two up to five times higher.
> • Substantiated spousal abuse involving members of the military is
> predominantly perpetrated by male active duty personnel (according to a 1996
> report).
> • Victims of domestic violence may not report abuse because they
> perceive a threat to their spouse's career.
> • Husbands are also victims of physical and mental abuse from the
> wife
>
> Keep in mind that we have sent 1.5 million soldiers to these two wars.
>
> Of homeless veterans , a 1996 report said that:
> • most are males (4% are females)
> • 89% received Honorable Discharge
> • 45% were suffering from mental illness
> • half had substance abuse problems
> • 76% experienced alcohol, drug, or mental health problems (some
> suffered from substance abuse and mental health problems)
> • 67% served for at least 3 years
> • 33% were stationed in a war zone
> • The VA estimated that nearly 200,000 were homeless on any given
> night
> • 400,000 were experiencing homelessness in a given year
> • 79% were in central cities, 16% in suburban, 5% in rural areas
>
> In 1998 (National Coalition for Homeless Veterans citing several reports,
> (this may not have been updated since the invasion of Iraq)):
> • over 225,000 veterans were in national prisons or jails
> • only 1 in every 6 was not honorably discharged
> • Among state prisoners, 53% of the incarcerated veterans were white
> non-Hispanics (compared to 31% of non-veterans).
> • Among Federal prisoners, 50% of the incarcerated veterans were
> white (compared to 26% of non-veterans).
> • Among state prisoners, incarcerated veterans were about 3 times
> more likely to have attended college than non-veterans.
>
> When troops return from long deployments, social service agencies -- on
> and off military posts -- have to prepare for outbreaks of family trouble
> and dangerous behavior as combat-weary soldiers try to readjust.
>
> Just as an example of the turmoil that expresses itself in violence, in
> the first week of November, 2007, the 82nd Airborne form North Carolina had
> four returned troops involved in murders, including a murder of one military
> wife and a murder-suicide which left two toddlers as orphans. "He told me he
> had seen a lot of things that he couldn't even talk to me about," said the
> father of the 23-year-old who committed the murder-suicide.
>
> Family stresses show up in calls for help. Even civilian run hotlines like
> the Quaker's GI Rights Hotline have seen even more calls this year . The
> worst part of the conversations is that there is no end in sight for most of
> the soldiers – the troops will return again to Iraq or Afghanistan. Troops
> are being deployed repeatedly in combat zones for longer and longer periods
> of time.
>
> The families are affected. Just as an example, one soldier is a father of
> three daughters: a 9 year old who is old enough to understand that her
> father is leaving again, a 3 year old who barely knows her father because he
> has been gone most of her lifetime, and a 7 month old who barely recognizes
> her father because he left a few days after she was born and was gone for a
> short 4 month deployment. Their lives will continue like this till they are
> grown. (Fager, 2007)
>
> In addition to the now well-publicized issues at Walter Reed National Army
> Medical Center neglect scandal , the VA has other problems:
> • The VA has a Don't Look Don 't Find policy (CBS News, 2007a).
> • Some Veterans Administration employees have also been ordered to
> deny all claims without even processing until the individual veteran files
> an appeal.
> • Cuts in VA services and closing of VA hospitals
> • The VA does not have enough psychiatrists and psychologists
> • VA is inflating the numbers of veterans served by using practices
> such as collecting social security numbers (and thus funding) from prisoners
> who are vets. The VA informs the incarcerated vets of services for which
> they are not eligible)
>
> Ordinary soldiers have been prosecuted for government policies/crimes in
> which they may have participated, but in which officials above them in the
> chain ordered or encouraged them to do.
>
> Recruitment levels are low so this affects those currently in the
> military. Aside from the huge financial costs of this war, there are limits
> on the supply of human beings for the Long War. Even with the military's
> practices like the stop-loss policy, the offering of re-enlistment bonuses,
> and offering salary incentives (to keep military people from leaving and
> joining private militia groups like Blackwater), and other such tactics, the
> military is having troubles supplying troops.
>
> All school children are affected. The military has been introducing combat
> simulations to elementary school students as "field trips". The military is
> often the singular presence at high school career and job fairs. In 2002,
> the No Child Left Behind Act conditioned high school eligibility for federal
> funding to the school's willingness to surrender contact information for its
> juniors and seniors – this information is used to call and mail the students
> for recruitment. In 2005, the opt-out was not being publicized to families,
> it had an early deadline, and if a student opted-out the student was removed
> from the school's directory.
>
> Movies intended for children are also used by military recruiters. Shrek
> the Third and the Bee Movie are two examples where the previews shown before
> the movies included violent images of soldiers busting down doors in
> Baghdad, gun battles, footage of tanks and helicopters, and songs by groups
> like "3 Doors Down".
>
> Recruiters actively target working-class youth giving these young people
> the belief that they have little choice but to join the military. In
> reality, money for college is hard to come by after joining the military,
> and there is no guarantee of job placement after one has served. In fact,
> studies show that unemployment is actually higher among young veterans than
> among non-veterans. Blacks make up 13 percent of the national population but
> they represent 29 percent of military personnel. The same paradox has been
> documented for Latinos and Native Americans.
>
> There is an upcoming deployment of the local troops to Afghanistan.
> • The largest deployment of Illinois National Guard since WWII.
> • 2,700 members being deployed
> • The Urbana brigade, the 33rd Infantry Brigade, is one of eight
> units from across the country being readied.
> • Based in Urbana, but comes from across Illinois.
> • Will leave as early as Summer 2008 and no later than November 2008
> • They will expect to be gone 13 to 14 months (shorter than previous
> deployments, because the Guard as a whole was asking for shorter
> deployments)
> • Composition: Aurora, Bloomington, Carbondale, Champaign, Chicago,
> Crestwood, Dixon, Effingham, Elgin, Galva, Kankakee, Kewanee, Litchfield,
> Machesney Park, Marion, Marseilles, Mattoon, Mount Vernon, Pontiac, Salem,
> Springfield, Sycamore, Urbana, West Frankfort, and Woodstock Illinois.
>
> More and more military people are speaking out. In August 2007, seven
> sergeants published an Op-Ed in the New York Times arguing that the war was
> hopeless and should be ended. In October, twelve captains, all Iraq
> veterans, wrote a similar piece for the Washington Post. About the same
> time, a California reporter found no less than twenty recently retired
> generals were speaking out about the pointless waste of US troops' lives,
> the devastation in Iraq, and the ruining of US credibility around the world.
> Such revolts from within the military itself have rarely happened in this
> nation's history.
>
> Iraq Veterans Against the War are asking the US government to bring
> soldiers home from active duty in Iraq, make restitution and reparations to
> the Iraqi citizenry for the destruction incurred during the US occupation,
> and to secure benefits and adequate health care for returning servicemen and
> women. IVAW has also launched a truth-in-recruiting campaign.
>
> Resources Used
>
> * The Final Report on the Study of Spousal Abuse in the Armed Forces.
> (1996). Caliber Associates for the Department of Defense: Washington, DC.
> * CBS News (Writer) (2007a). U.S. Veterans Face Challenges [On air and
> also Internet], CBS News Investigates. United States: CBS News.
> http://www.cbsnews.com/sections/i_video/main500251.shtml?id=3503612n
> * CBS News (Writer) (2007b). Veteran Health [i_video]. In C. News
> (Producer), Eye to Eye. United States: CBS News.
> http://www.cbsnews.com/sections/i_video/main500251.shtml?id=3498254n
> * Fager, C. (2007). Quaker House: Front-Line Peace Witness Since 1969
> (newsletter). Fayetteville, North Carolina: Quaker House. URL for the
> organization: www.quakerhouse.org
> * Interagency Council on the Homeless. (completed in 1996 and updated in
> 1999). The Forgotten Americans-Homelessness: Programs and the People They
> Serve. www.huduser.org
> * Miles Foundation. (2002?). Domestic Violence in the Military. Retrieved
> November 29, 2007 from
> * National Coalition for Homeless Veterans citing several reports. ((this
> may not have been updated since the invasion of Iraq)). Background &
> Statistics. Retrieved November 29, 2007, from
> http://www.nchv.org/background.cfm
> This cites the Interagency Council on the Homeless report.
>
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